Blossoms beat Trojans on last prayer TD

Blooming Prairie took down Rushford-Peterson 21-18 last week in an epic game that used all 48 minutes of regulation to decide a winner.

The Awesome Blossom had a few missteps along the way including multiple fumbles and an interception, but the team’s composure late in the game earned it the win.

“We had so many things that just didn’t go our way today, and give Rushford-Peterson credit. They’re a good team. We feel like we have high expectations, and we thought we would come in here and compete better than we did. To just be able to see our team’s resolve when it mattered, it’s what we want to see out of our guys because we know they’re capable,” said Blooming Prairie head coach Chad Gimbel.

Blooming Prairie scored the first points of the game via a passing touchdown from quarterback Brady Kittelson to wide receiver Gabe Staloch, giving the Awesome Blossoms a 7-0 lead just under five minutes into play.

Rushford-Peterson answered a few drives later with a touchdown of its own after an extended drive, but the team’s two-point attempt was unsuccessful.

The missed opportunity kept Blooming Prairie in the lead at 7-6 with 9:48 remaining in the second quarter.

Both sides cooled off a bit before Blooming Prairie’s first blunder cost the team big.

A fourth down punt from the Trojans was bobbled by Blooming Prairie’s Kittelson and scooped up by the opposition, giving them the ball on the Awesome Blossoms’ 34-yard line.

Rushford-Peterson used the positive field position to its advantage and despite being stuck in a fourth-and-eight situation from the 19-yard-line, the Trojans managed to hit the endzone with a slick seam pass up the middle.

The connection put the Trojans up 12-7 with 2:08 remaining in the half after the two-point conversion was unsuccessful yet again.

Neither team was able to score again in the first half.

Blooming Prairie forced a quick punt in the third and looked primed for a scoring drive after moving the ball well, but another misstep killed the Awesome Blossoms’ momentum.

Running back Cole Wangen busted out a huge run up the middle, but fumbled on contact, giving the Trojans the ball back halfway through the third quarter.

However, Rushford-Peterson made a blunder of its own by throwing a pick-six to Kittelson on the ensuing drive to give Blooming Prairie its lead back at 14-12.

Blooming Prairie’s momentum was short lived though, as Rushford-Peterson nearly took the kickoff to the house had it not been for a tackle by Staloch that held the Trojans to the Blooming Prairie six-yard-line.

Rushford-Peterson eventually punched in a rushing touchdown from eight yards out after a negative start to the possession, thus giving the Trojans the lead again at 18-14.

Neither side was able to score again until time dwindled low in the fourth quarter.

A late interception thrown by Kittelson with 4:19 left in the game had Blooming Prairie fans quiet in the stands, but the Awesome Blossoms’ defense bailed their veteran quarterback out with a huge stop to give the ball back to Kittelson and the offense.

This time around, Blooming Prairie’s gunslinger connected with wide receiver Alex Lea on a 41-yard bomb over the top of the defense that set the team up on the Trojans’ 17-yard line with less than a minute to play.

Blooming Prairie struggled to find answers in the short field and wound up stuck in a fourth-and-nine situation with just over 30 seconds remaining.

With one last opportunity to win the game, Kittelson hit a wide-open Staloch in stride for a touchdown to put Blooming Prairie up 20-18 with 26 seconds to go.

“It just shows how Brady’s matured over the years. That’s why I love that senior leadership at the quarterback position. He’s a leader. I know there were times in this game when he was really frustrated, but he knows he has to keep pressing and going forward,” said Gimbel on Kittelson.

Blooming Prairie’s Cooper Cooke tacked on the extra point to put his team up three points at 21-18.

Rushford-Peterson fought to move the ball, but a sack by Wangen and a fumble recovery by Owen Krueger sealed the Awesome Blossoms’ win and sent the Awesome Blossoms’ crowd into pandemonium.

“They always show up. This community loves its sports and supports the heck out of its kids. We love all of their support. It means the world to us,” said Gimbel.

Up next for Blooming Prairie is a home game against Fillmore Central scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 7 at 11 a.m.

Player Stats

Passing

#9 Brady Kittelson – 11-23 140 2 TD 1 int.

Rushing

#9 Kittelson – 8 att. 36 yards; #4 Cole Wangen – 7 att. 24 yards; #0 Lukas Loverink – 3 att. 7 yards; #12 Alex Lea – 3 att. 6 yards; #6 Gage Mullenbach – 1 att. 4 yards

Receiving

#12 Alex Lea – 3 rec. 59 yards; #21 Cannon Wacek – 2 rec. 30 yards; #2 Bradley Boyd – 1 rec. 25 yards; #5 Gabe Staloch – 2 rec. 17 yards 2 TD; #0 Loverink – 2 rec. 8 yards; #4 Wangen – 1 rec. 1 yard